Crafting Your Own Gear
Unmatched quality and a rewarding process

As home inspectors, we are all driven by a need to learn and grow professionally. Those of us who choose to pay for membership and follow the standards of ASHI have an inherent interest in working to improve ourselves. This is doubly so in the few remaining states, like Maine, that don’t license inspectors.
Quest for a Vest
I want to be the best inspector I can be, but early in my career I hit a snag: I couldn’t find a good quality work vest. I prefer to inspect with a vest containing all of the tools I need to have everything with me all the time. If I find a capped electric wire in a crawl space, I need a voltage tester. If I find a problem with shingles on a roof, I need a ruler. Having all of my tools within reach not only gives me confidence but also makes me look more professional (no need to get off the roof, get a ruler from my car, and get back up, all in view of the waiting clients).
I had originally bought a vest at a police surplus store that was covered in pockets and fit me well. Over the next few years I realized I didn’t use half of the pockets, it was heavy, and worst of all my camera fell out of the chest pocket every time I bent over. I always keep my camera on a lanyard around my neck, but having my camera repeatedly fall out and bang into things while stooping in attics and crawl spaces became frustrating. I also hate dropping things in front of clients (nothing says amateur quite like repeatedly dropping tools).
I realized the vest is my most important tool. It is what I interact with most on the job, and it can ruin my mood (and my professional image) the fastest.
I finally got so frustrated that I began looking for a new vest. I searched online for photographer vests, carpenters’ vests, military surplus vests, and I bought half a dozen types. In the end, however, they all had the same problem—too many useless pockets and nothing to keep a camera securely in place. Adding custom pockets to a preexisting vest looked shabby.
It occurred to me that I could not buy what I needed.
I sketched out a rough idea of what I wanted and where pockets should be placed for easy access, and I started asking around for someone who could make my custom vest. I contacted an old classmate and commissioned her to make the vest. When it arrived, however, I knew right away it wouldn’t work for me. The materials, the fit, and the weak stitching did not make me feel confident about taking it into the field.
A difficult realization dawned on me: If I wanted this to be done correctly I would have to do it myself. Only I know what I need.
I chose to make the vest out of nylon, which is durable and easy to clean. I measured everything I needed to carry and made custom pockets. I put “HOME INSPECTOR” in big letters on the back of my vest to preempt possible questions. Several times a year I inspect foreclosed properties with no real estate agents or buyers present, and I don’t want to be accused of breaking into abandoned properties. Clearly identifying myself also comes in handy when I work in retirement communities with lots of curious neighbors.
My vest was a success and met all of my needs. Now, after wearing it at every inspection for the last year, I am working on an updated model. In vest 2.0 I am upgrading to ripstop nylon, as regular nylon frays. It will also be more durable and have removable pockets so I can put them on a new vest when the time comes.
Unmatched Durability with a Touch of Class
Feeling confident in my abilities, I also made a custom holster for my drill. I use a Dewalt gyroscopic hand drill, but I had a simple clip-on tool pouch holder. Too often I realized at the end of an inspection that my holster had come unclipped somewhere in the house and I needed to find it (often in the furthest end of crawl spaces). I bought some scrap leather from a local leather store and built a holster. With a smaller shape, a belt loop, and some “wet-forming” to perfectly fit the drill, I haven’t lost or misplaced it yet.
Riding high on successfully making a custom vest and holster I felt confident when the next piece of equipment failed—a cloth tote for taking things from my car to my home office. I usually have a tool bag and a tote (for my clipboard, extra forms, CRM, etc.). When my cloth tote got a tear in the bottom I figured it had served me well (more than five years), but I wanted something that would last practically forever. Leather was the obvious choice. For $125 I bought a leather hide and some tools and started planning.
The product was a leather tote. It worked very well for six months, but the more I crafted with leather, the more I realized I could make a better, stronger bag. So I did. I even made a better tool bag, something I may be able to pass on to my kids someday. Another unintended benefit: Making leather bags is a great way to stay busy and make some money during the slow season (in Maine work slows to a trickle from January to April).


Why Make Your Own Gear?
Making my own gear has been very rewarding. If I could boil it down, I would highlight:
1. Quality.
I know what I need more than anyone else, and what I need is different from anyone else. Even if I spend $1,000 on a custom vest made by a tailor it may still not meet my needs. Doing it myself means I can adapt in the moment, alter as needed, test as I go, change, and use the correct materials.
2. Repairability.
Knowing how to craft your own gear makes it repairable. Once you find that ideal end product, keeping it functional for longer and/or fine-tuning should be in your wheelhouse and will be less expensive than replacement over the long haul.
3. Creative control.
I have a clear image of how I want to present myself to clients, especially buyers and real estate agents whom I have not yet met. I want to convey to them that I am worth the money they are spending and that they can have confidence in my abilities. Having everything meet my standards and perfectly fit all of my tools conveys that message.
4 Efficiency.
Since making my own gear I am faster, more efficient, and much less frustrated during inspections. Better tools make me a better inspector.

5. Romanticism.
My father is a carpenter, and I started working as a carpenter. I grew up with the idea that tradespeople are experts, not just with their materials but also with the tools they use. Previously, mass production tools were either unavailable, expensive, or created for the masses. Crafting your own tools has a long history and marks some as a true expert in the field.
Opinions of authors are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of ASHI, its agents, or editors. Always check with your local governmental agency and independently verify for accuracy, completeness, and reliability.
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In this Issue
Managing Risk: Processing Insurance Claims
4 Tips for Respecting Copyrights
Check the Deck
Leading the Industry
Dealing with Stress
Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors Study
Postcards from the Field
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